Line marker



@Ct. 10, 1950 MOON 2,525,100

LINE MARKER Filed June 25. 1947 INVENTOR,

HEMQQM .4 T TO RNEy,

Patented Oct. 10, 1950 v UNITED STATES PA ENT OFFICE I I 7 2,525,100 I LINE MARKER Henry T. Moon, South Gate, Calif. Application June 25, 1947, Serial No. 756,893

My invention relates to a line marker and more particularly to a devi'ce for marking lines on floors and paved surfaces, including roads, parking lots, factories, airports, and many other uses, indoors and out.

An object of the invention is to provide a selfcontained, wheeled device that can be pushed along, to draw a'straight line with sharp edges.

Another object of the invention is to provide a confined paint diffuser for acne marker, in order that it may mark a sharp, evenlyspread line.

A further object of the invention is .to provide in a line marker that has abrush to spread the paint evenly, means tending tomove the brush into frictional cont-act with the surface being lined.

My invention also has for its objects to provide such means that are positive in operation, convenient in use, economical of manufacture, relatively simple, and of general superiorit 'and serviceability.

The invention also comprises novel details of construction and novel combinations and arrangements of parts, which will more fully appear in the course of the following'description. flowdescription merely describes one embodiment of the present invention, which is given by way of illustrationor example only.

In the drawings, like reference characters designate similar parts in the several views.

Fig 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the foregoing objects, illustrating its use.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged broken, longitudinal section through said embodiment.

Fig. 3 is a front end view, with the upper portion of the device broken away.

Fig. 4 is a plan view, partly in section, taken on the line 4--4 of Fig. 2.

Referring more in detail to the drawings, the reference numeral 6 generally designates a barrel for containing a supply of paint for line marking.

' ever, the drawings merely show and the-following.

The barrel 6 has a tapering end I that has a Z sleeve 8 which is pivoted on the shaft 9 for lar e ground wheels I0. A tip I2, which is threadedly connected with the tapering end I, has internally a seat for receiving a valve I3. A nose I4 on the valve I3 keeps clean the orifice through the tip I2. The nose member I4 is of less diameter than the inside diameter of the tip, whereby to permit paint from therbarrel 6 to flow through the tip I2, when the valve I3 is unseated.

A brush I5 of generally rectangular form is mounted rearwardly or the ti I2, to diffuse the j of the barrel.

Wheels on the axle 9.

. I 2 paint that flows therefrom. The head I6 of the brush is clamped between a fixed plate I! and a swinging plate I8 that is hung from a pin I9. Bolts 20 are mounted in tapped openings in a stationary bar 2I. Manipulation of the bolts 20 by means of their heads 22 causes the bolts to 'swing the plate l8 to a clamping position with respectto the brush, or relieves the plate I8 so that the brush can be removed from its clamped position. i l A cart or carriage for making the foregoing elements portable comprises side members '23fand 24that carry bearings 25 and 26 for the axle, 9 of the large ground wheels I0. "Nuts 21 hold these A relatively small front wheel 28 is mounted on an axle 29 at the front end" of the side members23 and 24. This front wheel 28 tends to tip' the rear end of the side members downward, to cause the brush I5 to frictionally engage the surface being painted. The ground wheels II l,'the front whelfl28 andthe brush I5 constitute a four-point contact for the device, which is desirable. Of course, as the brush" I5 becomes worn, it is releasedfrom the clamping means des'cribed and moved closer to theground br floor, and then again tightened in place. I p I, I Depending by gravity from the side members 23 and 24 are upwardly'yielding plates 30 and' 3l. Normally; these plates 30 and73I slide alongthe ground and confine the brush and the paint between same, whereby to draw lines with sharp edges of uniform width throughout.

Bars 32 are riveted to opposing, inward faces of the plates 30 and 3|. These bars 32 are movable vertically underneath brackets 33. A lateral pin 34 on the upper end of each of the bars 32 prevents the plates 30 and EH from being disconnected from the side members 23 and 24. The bars 32 hold these plates in their upright, brush- .confining, line-defining positions.

A rod 35, connected at is lower end to the valve I3, at its upper end passes through the upper end36 of the barrel. A plug 31 is screwed into the filler opening 38 in the upper end '36.

A resilient closure member 39 contains a nut 40 that is screwed on the rod 35. member 39 closes an air vent 4] in the upper end When moved from its seat, the closure member 39 admits air to the barrel, to aid in the flow of paint from the lower end thereof. When closed, the closure member resiliently seals the air vent, to provide a partial vacuum in the barrel, to prevent undesired leakage of paint from the lower end thereof.

The closure A pivoted arm 42 is mounted on a pin 43 on the handle 44. The arm has a slot 50 for receiving the upper end of the rod 35. The rod has a nut 5| and washer 52 for holding the arm 42 between the washer 52 and the nut 40. A grip 45 is arranged on the arm 42, opposite the handle 44, so that the grip and, handle could be grasped by one hand.

A spring 46 resists movement of the grip toward the handle 44 and at the same time closes the vent 4| and seats the valve l3. A stop screw 41 limits inward movement of the grip 45. A wing nut 48 fastens the stop screw 4'1 in its adjusted positions.

In the use of my present device, it is pushed along manually as illustrated in Fig. 1. The small wheel 28 defines the line that is painted.

Compressing the grip 45 toward the handle 44; i. e., moving it from the full lines to the broken lines in Fig. 2, effects opening of the vent 4| and opening of the valve l3. Paint is thereby allowed to flow through the nozzle I2, around the nose l4.

Paint from the nozzle [2 flows on to the surface to be painted. The paint is spread out by means of the brush l5, but limited or restrained by the side plates 30 and 3|. Since the side plates slide along the ground, they make sharp edges for the line being drawn. It is preferred that the bottom faces of the side plates 30 and 3| bemilled in order to get as close a contact as possible with the surface being painted.

It will-be noticed that the barrel 6 has a pivotal movement, as suggested by the broken lines v49 of Fig. 2. Since the axis of this movement is above the nozzle l2, this swinging movement of the barrel 6 will raise and lower the nozzle relative to the ground or floor.

While I have illustrated and described what I now regard as the preferred embodiment of my invention, the construction is, of course, subject to modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention. I, therefore, do not wish to restrict myself to the particular form of construction illustrated and described, but desire to-avail myself of all modificationsthat may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

. Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

between said walls at the forward end of the carriage, a transverse axle intermediate the front and rear of the carriage and extending laterally of the side walls thereof, a pair of wheels on the axle extensions, an elongated and vertically disposed paint-holding barrel mounted on the axle between the side walls thereof and having a discharge nozzle in alignment with said lineguiding wheel, said barrel being provided with a rearwardly directed sleeve above the discharge nozzle of the barrel and pivotally engaged on the transverse axle, said barrel discharge nozzle thereby being disposed forward of and below the axle, an upwardly and rearwardly angled handle on the upper end of said barrel for pivotally moving the latter around the axle mounting the same, to correspondingly move the discharge nozzle of the barrel relative to the surface on which said three wheels track, and a brush carried by the carriage between the side walls thereof and wholly rearward of said axle to spread paint discharged from the nozzle of the barrel, the mentioned movement of the nozzle during pivotal movement of the barrel also moving said nozzle backward and forward relative to the brush.

2. The line-marking device according to claim 1: said barrel comprising a tubular container provided with a tapering lower portion, an axial rod in said container, a grip associated with the handle and connected to said rod and movable by a hand grasping said handle to elevate said rod, and. a normally closed valve in the nozzle of the barrel and opened by said rod upon elevation thereof.

' HENRY T. MOON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,818,916 Wasen Aug. 11, 1931 1,860,271 Wenning May 24, 1932 1,956,602 Wentz et al. May 1, 1934 2,192,433 Cornelison Mar. 5, 1940 2,290,302 Terry July 21, 1942 2,311,038 Efird et a1. Feb. 16, 1943 2,402,310 Beaumier June 18, 1946 

